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HE’S KNOWN ASWacko Jacko – but the circus surrounding Michael Jackson’s trial is proving even more bizarre.

Santa Maria in California has the feel of a gold rush town as locals prepare to cash in on the showbiz ‘trial of the century’.

Jackson, 46, has pleaded not guilty to ten charges, including child molestation and conspiracy. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in jail.

As an army of 800 journalists and even more fans descend, pole dancers are on call, hotels and bars are stocking up on booze, and residents are hiring out homes as offices.

‘This might be a small town – but we’re not suckers,’ said Carmen Jenkins, owner of Coffee Diem bistro, which is charging £265 a day for Internet use during the trial.

At the Spearmint Rhino Gentlemen’s Club, which offers full-nudity dancers, trade has increased by 25 per cent during the pretrial hearings.

‘Usually we have five to ten dancers in the daytime and eight to 13 at night,’ said manager David Kellogg. ‘We are going to bump that up and all 35 of our girls will be on call if things really get busy.’

Like many hotels in town, the Holiday Inn is booked solidly for the next three months. ‘We’ve already run out of Jack Daniel’s. We need to stock up properly this time so we won’t be running out again,’ a member of staff said.

To manage the crowds and media, the police have set up security fences and gates.

The only people not preparing are at the shopping centre’s music store, where a single Michael Jackson CD stands out in its loneliness. ‘We just don’t have a big call for Michael Jackson any more,’ said an assistant.